Maybe this is a dumb question, but how do I know if I'm the pack leader? I would like to think I am, since she generally does what I tell her. We do very simple obedience (sit, lay down, stay, etc..) quite reguarly; does that contribute to me being alpha, or is that just a game to her?
It's not a dumb question at all. For all my bluster about being pack leader, my dogs sometimes display behavior which leads me to believe they sometimes
think they are equal or more. For example my Corgi: She does tricks because I reward her each time she sits, stays, waits, backs up, etc. Her recall varies, however, because I've worked with that behavior the least. When we are outside, if my Corgi is beside me and sees someone
ass by on a bike, she may bark, but I can tell her "leave it," and she won't start chasing after the person. If the distance between us is wide, she becomes less focused on me, and when that same rider passes by again, she fixates on him and gives chase (fortunately I have a gated yard.[
] .) What happens is a shift in who the pack leader is. When she's close, she knows she's supposed to listen to me because I'm the Alpha at close range. When she's further away, she becomes her own Alpha because that pattern has been established, and I've done little to change that behavior. So what do I have to do if I want her to change her behavior? I have to teach her to stay focused on me at greater distances. Once she begins to understand that, I can go from there in regards to sits, stays, "leave its" etc.
In regards to your Shi Tzu:
1.Are there times when you give her commands and she does not follow through?
2.Are there times when she wants food and growls and barks for it?
3.Does she eat before you?
4.Can you take her food and/or toys away from her without being growled at?
5.Is she the 1st one out the door?
6.Does she sometimes run off and "do her own thing?"
7.Does she ignore you when you call her name?
The answers to any or all of these questions can help determine where she may or may not have a dominant streak, and if she does, why it is so. The Shi Tzu I used to have 20 years ago was a good dog. She was smart, loving, did some tricks, but she also had a dominant streak. Here are my "20 year old" answers to the questions:
1.She didn't always follow through with commands given.
2.She would growl and bark for her food, i.e. she demanded it, thus used a form of intimidation.
3.She ate first...just like the Alpha does in a wolf pack.
4.She would "play" growl when you took her toys, and "serious" growl when you went for the food bowl.
5.She would always be the 1st one out the door, i.e. we enforced her belief that she was the number 1 wolf because we let her "lead" the way out.
6. She always went off and "did her own thing" because the top dog can do whatever the top dog wants. No commands were eneforced
outside the house
, and
who was the 1st one out the door
?
7. She did not always respond to her name because if you called her at a time when she was busy doing something important...well, that happened to be the time she was being Alpha wolf.
I think what I'm gonna do is sign her up for obediance classes, since she's never been to any. That way, she could meet other dogs AND learn to focus on what I'm telling her to do. Does that sound like a good plan?
Yes it does! It's a great way to socialize a dog AND teach them to focus on your leadership, thus defer to you as and understand that you are the Alpha wolf. I recommend a few things before commiting to any class -
1.Observe the trainer: How well does he/she communicate? Do you like his/her personality?
2.Observe the methods: Are they all
ositive reinforcment methods, or are there some negative reinforcement methods? Example: when teaching a dog to heel, does the trainer teach the dog that walking along side is a treat, or does the trainer teach the dog that being in front results in the full use of a choker. Personally, I only use positive reinforcement methods when training, and find that gets the best results.
3.Talk to people and find out what they like or don't like about trainers in your area.
4.Don't ever "beat yourself up" if you find out you may have done something to enforce unwanted behavior. No one is perfect, and we've all done it to some extent at one time or another.
5. Don't shy away from taking the postition of leader. Being the "dominant" member of the pack is a good thing for both you and your dog. Think about how a wolf pack operates: the Alpha wolf has to maintain his/her status by displaying acts of dominance over the rest of the pack. This is done physically, with body language, and with vocalizations. When you give your dog a command, that is a vocal way to communicate dominance. When you walk with confidence and take the lead, that communicates dominance through body language. When you pick up your dog, you are physically displaying your dominance through strength. They understand these things, and they want to be led in this way because that is how their psychology works - lead or be led.
One last thing in regards to your Shi Tzu and the puppy. Your Shi Tzu may still end up being the dominant one between the two. That is OK. The thing you want to eastablish (through training) is that they both look to you in regards to how they should behave. That way, if or when you feel your Shi Tzu (or the pup) is getting too serious in regards to displays of dominance, you can end that behavior and redirect the dog's energy towards something positive.
Hope that helps. [sm=wink2.gif]